1897 Edinburgh Corporation election

An Election to the Edinburgh Corporation was held on 2 November 1897, alongside municipal elections across Scotland, and the wider British local elections. Contests took place in 5 of the cities’ 13 wards, with candidates in the remaining 8 being returned unopposed. Three Portobello wards also held elections. The election was relatively quiet, with no particularly important issues being raised. As a result, the main focus of the election was on the Lord Provost and the personalities of the individual candidates.^[1]

The Liberal Sir Mitchell Mitchell-Thomson, 1st Baronet took over as Provost following the election, replacing the Unionist Sir Andrew McDonald.

Aggregate results

Edinburgh Corporation election, 1897^[1]
(Contested seats)
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Unionist	5
	Liberal	2
	Radical	1

Ward Results

Newington^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Unionist	John Harrison	2431
	Liberal	Mr Macpherson	2254
Majority
Turnout
	Unionist hold		Swing

St. Leonard's^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Robert Menzies	1776
	Socialist	William Gall	467
Majority
Turnout
	Liberal hold		Swing

Broughton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Radical	Hugh M. Michael	1108
	Unionist	James M. Anderson	664
Majority
Turnout
	Radical hold		Swing

Canongate^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Unionist	Councillor Gubie	1116
	Social Democratic Federation	George Doull	636
Majority
Turnout
	Unionist hold		Swing

St. George's^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Unionist	David Purves	1800
	Liberal	Councillor Scott	1519
Majority
Turnout
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing

Portobello: 14th^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Unionist	W. Gray	306
	Liberal	Alexander Tod	133
Majority
Turnout
	Unionist hold		Swing

Portobello: 15th^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Bailie Brand	274
	Unionist	J. L. B. Higgin	179
Majority
Turnout
	Liberal hold		Swing

Portobello: 16th^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Unionist	Robert Innes	209
	Unionist	James Watson	151
Majority
Turnout
	Unionist hold		Swing

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "The Municipal Elections: Edinburgh". The Glasgow Herald. 3 November 1897. p. 8.

[Glasgow_Herald-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "The Municipal Elections: Edinburgh". The Glasgow Herald. 3 November 1897. p. 8.

[1]

v t e Elections in Edinburgh
Edinburgh Corporation	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973
City of Edinburgh District Council	1974 1977 1980 1984 1988 1992
Lothian Regional Council	1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994
City of Edinburgh Council	1995 1999 2003 2007 2012 2017 2022
Referendums	2005